The Jeanne Gouging Machine is a "double radius" machine,
which produces increased stability in the reed. It is
designed for the English hornist who wants to have complete
control over his or her reeds, with the ability to
personalize the gouge in order to achieve the desired
qualities of timbre, response, pitch stability and tip
opening. The Jeanne gouging machines were designed by
Valarie Anderson, in consultation with John Mack, during
1992. The Jeanne gouging machines are built so that
everything can be adjusted, allowing for the greatest
flexibility. This makes the machines more expensive to
manufacture as any engineer or machinist will tell you.
But our gouging machines, like our shaper tips, are
available only through direct sales from Jeanne Inc.,
giving a higher value at a lower market price.
The shape of the guide is critical to achieving the
desired end results. The guide on the Jeanne machines has
a modified curvature of slightly less than 14 mm with a
slight incline from
the blade, allowing the guide to hit the cane directly
in front of the blade. Our machines have a minimal space
between the guide and the blade to eliminate tearing
problems. An eccentric bearings built into the carriage
controls the manner in which the guide hits the cane.
The carriage of our machine rides on special linear
motion ball bearings which in turn are fitted into the
carriage eccentric bearing. It's the unique ball
bearings that give our machine such a silky smooth
action. The carriage of the machine needs to be level;
otherwise, the cane can be pushed to the side of the bed
creating an uneven gouge. We put eccentrics in the posts
of the Jeanne machines which can be used to raise or
lower the carriage rod.
The blade has both a depth adjustment to control the
amount of cane removed with each swipe; and a side to
side adjustments, which controls the rate of fall-off
from the center to the sides of the gouge. The side
measurements of the gouge can also be controlled by
moving the bed. Both methods are necessary as the
results are completely different. The gouge thickness
is controlled with a simple set of parallel bars. There's
a compartment built into the bottom of the base that
stores a special wrench that's used to make these
adjustments.
Each Jeanne gouging machine is set-up be Valarie
Anderson. Gouge dimensions can be specified at time of
order. Several reeds are made over a period of days to
insure the consistent quality of the gouge. Sample cane
can be sent for trial before the machine is shipped.
Delivery time is approximately two to three weeks.
